Thursday Apple Rumors: 350,000 iTunes Movie Downloads a Day

65% of all movie downloads were made through iTunes last year

Bandwidth: In a statement released on Wednesday, Apple (AAPL) said that iTunes users have downloaded 380 million movies and more than 1 billion TV shows. Apple customers are currently buying 350,000 movies and 800,000 TV shows through iTunes each day. Those statistics have propelled Apple to the top spot in the video download market, the New York Times notes. According to an industry research firm, 67% of all TV show downloads were made through iTunes last year, while 65% of movies were downloaded through iTunes. Video download rivals Amazon (AMZN) and Microsoft (MSFT), which permits video downloads through its Xbox console, each accounted for just 10% of movie downloads in 2012. However, the most popular way consumers watch video content on line is through subscription streaming services like Netflix (NFLX). In the first quarter of this year, only 5% of consumers downloaded a movie, compared to 19% who watched a movie on a streaming service. Netflix is the dominant streaming service, accounting for 90% of all video streaming.

Not Cheap: The CEO of Apple supply chain partner Pegatron disputed reports that Apple’s lower cost iPhone would be priced as low as some analysts have suggested, CNET notes. T.H. Tung said that the lower cost iPhone — which recent reports say will be called the iPhone Lite — will be “fairly high” compared to other smartphones. Tung’s remarks appear to confirm that Apple is indeed producing a cheaper iPhone, aimed at emerging markets where discount smartphones have snapped up market share. Rumors have swirled for months that a cheaper iPhone is coming, with most analysts forecasting its debut this fall. The lower-cost iPhone is rumored to resemble the general design of the iPhone 5, but substitutes a plastic case for the iPhone 5’s aluminum exterior. Some rumors say the cheaper iPhone will also be available in a variety of colors. Pegatron has reportedly been chosen by Apple to produce the lower-cost iPhone as Apple attempts to reduce its dependence on Foxconn.

Connectivity: A number of owners of Apple’s recently refreshed MacBook Air are reporting trouble with the notebook’s Wi-Fi system, Gizmodo notes. Apple Support Forums are seeing numerous complaints that the new MacBook Airs have difficulty maintaining Wi-Fi connections. Users say that Wi-Fi connections appear to drop off after a few minutes and cannot be re-established without a reboot. A source at an Apple Store in London told Gizmodo that Wi-Fi complaints for the new MacBook Airs were “above average.” The problem is exacerbated when MacBook Airs are placed on a desk, suggesting an issued with the antenna. Apple has not commented on the issue yet.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.